King Richard's Faire recreates 16th century England (with ATMs)

Francis Ma

Wednesday

Sep 26, 2007 at 12:01 AMSep 26, 2007 at 3:51 PM

The rowdy crowd is causing problems for King Richard.

The rowdy crowd is causing problems for King Richard.

“They’re always trying to storm my castle,” says the King, who’s devised an effective strategy to thwart them. “I don’t try to stop them. I welcome them in, give them a bite to eat, a handshake, a good clap on the back and send them on their way. By the time they’ve eaten and had a few beers, they forget why they came in to begin with.”

Eating and drinking seems to be the foundation on which King Richard’s Faire was built. Visit the annual Renaissance fair in Carver, and watch reality melt away to a world full of fire-eaters, Vikings, wenches and knights.

“It’s a difficult task to describe the experience to people who have never been here,” explains founder and producer Bonnie Shapiro. “You have to understand the Renaissance Period a wee bit to understand what you’re getting into.”

The Faire, celebrating its 26th anniversary at its regular Carver location through Oct. 21, offers all the fan favorites: the two-pound turkey leg, cups of mead, throwing axes, shooting crossbows, the gypsy performance and, of course, three jousting shows a day.

But 26 years is a long time and, despite being a recreation of a past historical time, Shapiro has been forced to make some modern tweaks.

“It’s hard being just in the 16th century all the time,” laughs Shapiro. “Every year we get a little bit more contemporary and take a step forward in time.”

Compared to the fair’s inception (it was also much smaller then), Shapiro has taken leaps. In the dark days of King Richard’s Faire, there was no soda, pizza or water.

Today, a more enlightened Faire boasts “more flushable” bathrooms, artisans who accept credit cards, and mic’d actors on stage. They also serve “regular” beer (Coors Lite and Killians) along with their mead.

Three new shows have been added to the Faire as well. The Lost Boys are described as “Renaissance Rock-n-Roll” and consists of four kilt-wearing musicians who parade around the stage like modern-day rock stars with medieval instruments.

“Oh my God, do the kids love that,” says Shapiro. “Sometimes I step back and ask ‘What have I done [to this fair]?’”

There’s the Aerial Angels at Hell’s Mouth (another stage) where three fire-eating women perform Cirque du Soleil-style acrobatics. And the Magical Madrigals bring their “Broadway-like” voices to the market streets for passersby to enjoy.

By the way, the Faire has so many performances to see (all of which are in 30-minute blocks) that it’s impossible to see everything. Map out your day so you get the most of the experience.

But if you only have time to see one performance (and you’re not into the joust), then check out the musical “Little Ship of Horrors,” which is a production that gets huge laughs by having the male actors dress in drag and changing the words of The Lion King’s “Akuna Matata” to “The Spanish Armada.” And believe it or not, the musical does have a plot.

Some things haven’t changed. Tickets are cash-only (ATMs are conveniently located near the entrance), no outside food is allowed in, and there is no re-entry if you leave the premises. Oh, and be sure to visit a food ticket booth once you’re inside because the vendors only take tickets (they are 50 cents each and come in $5 blocks).

But it’s the people, rather than the events, that make the fair what it is, from the patrons who arrive in full costume to the actors lining the street and stage (many of whom work for tips).

“They never break character,” explains Shapiro. “It’s a very difficult thing to do and takes a lot of effort and energy. When we did our show in Chicago, we hired Jim Belushi. He wasn’t famous at the time and he lasted one weekend. He said ‘That’s it. I quit. You have to be on stage eight hours a day.’ ”

And it’s those dedicated actors that inspire more than 100,000 people to return to the fair each year.

“We are so hassled in this world by news media and the stress of life, that people need a release,” explains Shapiro. “After Sept. 11, we had to get back to Boston, by hook or by crook, to open the gates that Saturday (four days after the attacks). It was one of our best years ever. In dire times, people need to be entertained.”